The Ostracized: One Girl Alone
by DefyOrdinary
Summary: [KelsixJason] A vandalism at East High has shaken up the norm, but will it bring two people closer together or force them further apart?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Helloo. This is my first fanfic, so you know, read and review, please? **

**This is a Kelsi and Jason fanfic. Also a minorly SLASH story, meaning boy x boy. Don't like? Simple. Don't read. Feel free to flame me, I'll laugh at your narrow mindedness. **

**Anyways, sorry for the short prologue, I'll post next chapter soon that will definitely be longer.**

Oh, she could just live vicariously through the others. Sure, they were _her_ songs, but Mrs. Darbus had long ago relegated her to playing accompaniment. Kelsi Nielsen loved to play the piano, but she wished, just once, it could be someone else playing the accompaniment for her. Just for her. But it could never happen. Not while "it" couple Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez were around. So, she resigned herself to perfecting her pieces and giving life to her creations. No one truly appreciated Kelsi; that is, no one until Jason Cross. Of course, he would still always be one of Troy's basketball cronies, but at heart, he had always wanted to break into the world of drama. Sharpay and Ryan Evans had never allowed that before. However, everything changed after that single fateful day in the history of East High and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Kelsi had always been a bit of a nobody at East High. She didn't really have a claim to fame or anything really distinguishing about herself. Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason had their basketball. Sharpay and Ryan had their drama. Gabriella and Taylor had their smarts. And what did she have? Well, it wasn't easy to say exactly what that was. Piano, she supposed, but even at that, she could only be second best. Playing the second part along with the actor or actress who would eventually outshine Kelsi even at her best. And she knew she gave only her best. But somehow, it seemed her best could never be good enough. Not enough to be noticed. Not enough to secure the elusive fame. Not enough to win the boy.


	2. Senior Pranks

**A/N: For your future reference, to ostracize means to shun. No, it doesn't have anything to do with ostriches.**

**Standard disclaimers apply here: I don't own anything except When The Rain Comes. I do actually own everything associated with that.**

**SLASH story. You have been warned.**

No one knew, but Kelsi had a crush on Ryan Evans, the school's Drama King. Or more affectionately termed, the Ice King, seeing as he was twin brother to Sharpay, the resident Ice Queen. Being the shy person she was, Kelsi had never been able to confide in anyone the way she felt towards Ryan. Turns out that it was probably a good thing, since that year had been the year that both Troy Bolton, basketball extraordinaire, and Ryan Evans, drama geek, had both officially come out as a couple. That could have potentially been extremely embarrassing for her, professing her love for a gay guy. Not that Kelsi was in any way mad that Ryan couldn't be hers, in fact, she was very happy for them. She thought they were rather cute together. At least that had done away with Gabriella hogging all the spotlight for herself. Kelsi had always harbored a bit of a grudge against Gabriella because she had gotten everything that Kelsi had ever wanted.

Now, Troy Bolton and Ryan Evans were the new "it" couple. Of course, this never stopped the few homophobes from their crude acts towards the two. Quite often, Ryan would hear lewd remarks in the hallways or in the classrooms from the anonymous person who just couldn't accept him for who he was. In a way, Kelsi thought she could empathize with Ryan. Not in such a drastic way, but Kelsi had always felt shunned for being different. Couldn't dance, couldn't sing, couldn't do anything right. She practically tripped over her own feet all the time. That had been especially embarrassing when Troy had been watching her after the Winter Musicale auditions. She had fallen just about flat on her face and scattered her sheet music all over the stage. Of course, Troy, being the ever present gentleman, had offered to help her pick up her things. Ok, she could permit him a smile, even if he had stolen Ryan from her. Oh well, all in the natural course of things.

She'd move on in time, bury herself in her schoolwork, and try to forget. She couldn't really busy herself with friends because she tended to repel people fairly rapidly. The majority of people couldn't handle the strange sort of nervous energy that she exuded. Kelsi sighed and figured that she probably tried too hard to get people to be friends with her. That was exactly why she had liked the idea of Ryan so much. He had always been a bit of a rebel and different from everyone else. Flamboyant perhaps. But he had always followed his own path, not the paths of others as so many had. He didn't care what others thought of him. The hurtful words that were so often plastered to his locker didn't particularly bother him. He would brush aside the nasty comments and turn to Troy to walk with him to class. Kelsi could only wish to have the confidence and strength that Ryan showed. She'd been shunned one too many times in her young life, and this had shattered her self esteem. She spent too much time thinking of how others would treat her and how best to fit into the crowd. Little did she know, but it would be exactly what she didn't need.

It had been an ordinary Sunday just like any other throughout the year. But this one had been inherently different. A few neighborhood hooligans thought it would be funny to pull a "senior prank" of sorts on good old East High. They had somehow managed to break in to the school and cause damage. Vinegar sprayed on the walls and the carpets, manure littered the hallways and clogged the air ducts, and ladybugs swarmed over every square inch of the school. The custodians worked tirelessly to try and clean up the mess before school on Monday, but their efforts were futile. The ladybugs had been relocated to various places, but the halls still reeked of vinegar and manure. That day was almost unbearable to the students' noses; all possible windows and doors were opened to let the stench out. Most of the classrooms were usable, but the gym and auditorium still had to be cleaned. Gym and drama wouldn't be having proper class any time at all that week, for that matter.

The loudspeaker crackled to life with Principal Matsui's voice, "Students, there was an incident early Sunday morning. As many of you know, there has been a terrible case of vandalism. If anyone has any ideas as to who committed such a heinous crime, please come forward right away. Any and all information rendered will be confidential. Thank you. That will be all."

As soon as the loudspeaker clicked silent, the school buzzed with gossip as the rumor mill started warming up.

"Did you hear? It was the basketball team. They dirtied the school as a sort of protest against not having clean locker rooms or a proper team room."

"No way! I heard that it was the drama students who were all fed up with that cow, Mrs. Darbus."

"Really? I thought it was the skater dudes just trashing the school."

As the speculations circulated around school, they all eventually reached the principal and the teachers. Of course, Mrs. Darbus would just not stay quiet about this one.

"Settle down, class. Homeroom has started. Now, there have been some very serious allegations against the drama department as to who gave our school such an atrocious odor on Sunday morning. We must honor the sacred chapel of the arts that is the theater! I sincerely hope that it was not one of you acting as a vagabond just to get some attention. We, in drama, pride ourselves on our high integrity and morals..."

Mrs. Darbus rambled on about the theater and musicales and who knows what else. The entire class could have broken out into song, and she would not have noticed since she was so wrapped up in her little spiel. The students took full advantage of this and chatted quietly among themselves for the remainder of the half hour class period. Troy and Ryan sat in the back of the room gazing at each other in what could only be described as a lustful manner. Gabriella and Taylor talked about their upcoming Scholastic Decathlon against West High. Chad, Jason, and Zeke were trying to play h-o-r-s-e with crumpled paper balls and the trashcan. Sharpay sat at her desk and tried to discreetly text her friend without getting another detention with Darbus. The last one had been bad enough, what with painting scenery for a musical she hadn't even starred in. And Kelsi, well, she was sitting by herself trying to finish her composition for the next Spring Musicale, When the Rain Comes, one of her own compositions.

Unbeknownst to Kelsi, Jason was staring at her in a slightly bored fashion to see what she was up to. She hadn't really moved in the past ten minutes, so Jason sighed exasperatedly hoping to catch her attention. And she still didn't get the hint. Kelsi was so intent on getting the melody onto paper that she had closed off all outside noises so she could concentrate as best she could. She still had the next period to work some more anyways since it was Biology, and she normally used that class as a free period. The bell rang signaling the end of class, so Kelsi shuffled her papers into some semblance of order and stuffed them into her bag. As she stood up by her desk, she was startled by the sudden presence of Jason. He had been extremely bored the last part of class because he lost their little game and had to wait for Chad and Zeke to finish and see who won. He had wanted someone to talk to, and Kelsi was the only one who wasn't occupied with something or someone else. Not that he really knew Kelsi well, it was just that he was so bored with waiting. Heck, he would have talked to a banana if he had one. But he didn't, so he thought Kelsi would work just as well. Even if he was talking _at_ her instead of to her.

"Hey Kelsi," Jason managed to say before Kelsi tried to squeeze past him. "So, uhh, what class do you have next?" _Wow, she must really not like me since she so clearly wants to get away from me right now. It doesn't look like she even wants to make small talk._

Pushing her glasses back up her nose from where they had slid down, Kelsi muttered, "Hmm, oh, you're talking to me? Oh, let's see... I have Biology next. Umm. Ok. See you later." _Excellent, give off the impression that you're anti-social. That's the way to get a guy_.

"Well, ok, so see you in Gym class then?" Jason asked hopefully. "Oh wait, we cant's go in the gym. What are we doing then?" He ran his fingers through his hair in a state of confusion.

"We're meeting out on the grass for field activities. Well, I really have to get to Biology now. It's upstairs and I'm going to have to run if I want to get there on time. Or at least pretend like I could be on time." Kelsi replied quickly and turned to walk away so he couldn't see her blushing.

Upon reaching her Biology class, Kelsi leaned over her desk to catch her breath after running up the stairs and down the hall to her classroom. _Shit, Jason is messing with my head. He couldn't just leave me alone like everyone else. Noo, he has to come over and talk to me_. _Good going Kelsi, one person tries to have a decent conversation with you and you run away with the lame excuse that you have to go to class. Everyone knows that you don't even pay attention in Biology anyways. Why am I talking to myself? Hmm. Oh a worksheet._

**A/N: Interesting little note. The "senior prank" in this chapter was actually pulled at my school. It smelled like vinegar and manure in the hallways for literally a month. The carpets wouldn't get clean. And the rooms would get so hot because the manure in the air ducts prevented us from using the central air conditioning until it got cleaned.**


	3. A Date? Well Sort of

**A/N: Standard Disclaimers apply as usual. I don't own HSM or Wicked. **

**I do, however, own When The Rain Comes, all subsequent musical numbers (including lyrics), and all characters (Hayden, Noelle, and Corrina). **

**SLASH story. You have been sufficiently warned.**

**Thoughts and lyrics are in _italics_.**

"Tweeet!" Coach Bolton blew his whistle in a vain attempt to get the students' attention out on the grass. Unfortunately for him, most of the class continued talking or simply not paying attention. Kelsi, drowning in her oversized gym clothes, remained sitting on the grass staring vacantly off into space. She had been trying to write a certain part to the music and it had just not been coming out right. So, currently, she was working it out in her head and trying to make the notes form themselves in her head. But, all she was doing, was giving herself a big headache and getting nowhere. Jason wandered over and plopped down next to Kelsi since it seemed as though Coach Bolton would spend the next half of class trying to get everyone's attention.

"Hey, how did Biology go today?" Jason casually asked.

Startled out of her thoughts, Kelsi jumped slightly and gave a short reply, "It was fine. You know. Just like every other day."

Not to be put off by her brief answer, Jason pursued the conversation, "So, what classes do you have left after this? I've got drama and math later."

"Oh. Same here." Kelsi wondered why he was being so nice to her all of a sudden. Normally, he could care less how her day was going. Sure enough, the paranoia kicked in, and Kelsi found herself thinking that he was in on some elaborate joke by the basketball team.

"That's cool. Oh look. I think Coach Bolton wants us to get up and play flag football." Jason offered an outstretched hand to help Kelsi up off the grass.

"You know what? I think I'm going to sit over here on the side. I don't think Coach will mind very much. Besides, I'm the biggest klutz ever." Kelsi explained with a patient almost bored expression on her face.

Jason coaxed in his best don't-you-think-I'm-cute voice, "Oh. Are you sure? It looks like it could be fun."

"I'm sure. I have a deadline to meet, and you know how Darbus is. She'll kill me if I don't have this score ready after I swore up and down that it would be done by Friday." Kelsi had a finality in her tone that she hoped would make Jason leave her alone and go back to his stupid jock sports and groupies.

"Well, alright then. If you say so." Jason looked down dejectedly and loped off to join Chad and the others on the football field. However, even though he had been clearly shot down by the none too happy Kelsi, Jason couldn't help but steal quick, furtive glances in her direction. As per usual, she seemed to be frozen in one position: hat down over her eyes, one leg crossed over the other, a pencil in her mouth, and sheets of music in her lap. Jason thought she looked very cute when she did that and conspired to tell her so the next time he attempted civil conversation with her.

Brrrrriing. _Ahh, finally the end of school_. Kelsi breathed a sigh of relief as she gathered up her notebook and papers and shoved them into her messenger bag before heading out the door of the classroom. She had been eagerly anticipating the end of the day since she had a massive headache and wanted nothing more than to go home and lie down. Making her way out a side exit, Kelsi slid into the seat of her black Honda civic and dropped her bag onto the seat next to her. She started up the car and managed to make the trip home an uneventful one. Fumbling with the keys, she got the door open and felt the cool darkness of the house envelop her. She moved to nap on the couch and to just try and make her headache subside. After what seemed like only a few minutes, she awoke groggily and stared at the clock until realizing she couldn't see it because her glasses were on the side table. Putting them on, she noted that it was five o'clock and almost time to go back to school for rehearsals. She felt her way through the house to the kitchen, got a cold glass of water, and pushed the button on their answering machine.

"Two new messages," resounded through the still house in a robotic tone. "First new message sent today at three thirty pm." Beeep.

"Hi Kelsi Nielsen. This is a reminder from Dr. Williams' office that you have an optometry appointment scheduled for tomorrow at four in the afternoon. See you tomorrow."

"Second new message sent today at four-oh-five pm." Beeep.

"Umm, hey Kelsi. It's Jason. From school. Anyways, I'm calling because I just wanted to see how you were. I didn't see you after school, and during math, it seemed like you had a headache...or something. So, I'll see you at rehearsals then. Later."

Click. The machine had dutifully repeated the messages to her and had commenced to shutting itself off.

_Shit. I forgot Jason got a supporting role in this musical. He just won't leave me alone. Argh. Well, I guess it's back off to school. Yippee. _

Kelsi grabbed her hat and jacket off the arm of the sofa and ran out the door with her music in one hand and a muffin in the other. She figured she could eat on the way since she had forgone her dinner for a little bit of sleep.

Upon nearing the multipurpose room that was serving as their makeshift theater for the week, Kelsi could hear Mrs. Darbus' voice reverberating off the walls. "Where is my pianist? We are going to have to get started without her. After all, the theater waits for no one!"

Kelsi rushed in, slightly out of breath, "Pianist here, Mrs. Darbus. Ready on stage." Arranging her music on the piano, she struck the opening notes for Dance to Me.

_When the rain falls, light and warm_

_To refresh the weary and cool the tired_

_Hold me in your arms, twirl me 'round_

_Drench me with peace, fill me with joy_

_Douse my heart in those rains of love_

_For these quiet showers calm the soul_

_Give rest, confidence, and true bliss_

_Times for the world I'd never miss._

Troy and Ryan's voices rose and fell in perfect harmony as they vocalized one of Kelsi's newest numbers that she had added to the musical as a last minute thought. Kelsi smiled happily as the two performed the piece just as she had intended it to sound. Mrs. Darbus had liked the idea of having four stars in the play, so Kelsi, accordingly, wrote in two more stars. Which is how it happened that Troy and Ryan were singing a number together. The other two leads were none other than their corresponding female counterparts, Gabriella and Sharpay.

Kelsi thought this play would come off spectacularly with just a bit more rehearsal. Having written it originally for only one male lead and one female lead, she hoped the plot wouldn't seem too congested. She had adapted it so it would reflect two different relationships happening at once instead of one integral focus.

Rehearsals finally ended three hours later, and Kelsi was relieved to be going home at last. As she stood to close the piano and collect her music, Jason appeared by her side.

Still dressed in his nineteenth century costume as Hayden Miller, he looked utterly ridiculous now that he stopped to think about what he was wearing. Grinning sheepishly, he complimented Kelsi on her newest play. "I really like the story in this one, Kels. Although, I think we could do without the old fashioned costumes. So, it's about two couples who realize they're in love with the girl or the guy in the other couple, right? Gabi makes a perfect Noelle and Sharpay does justice to Corrina's character. I think Darbus actually got the casting right this time..."

As Jason gushed on about how much he liked Kelsi's play, she could hear her stomach growling hungrily. Jason heard it too and blushed. "I guess I've kept you pretty long after rehearsals ended. How do you feel about getting something to eat? You know you can't say no. I mean, I even heard your stomach growling, and there's no surer sign that someone is hungry, after all."

Kelsi smiled slightly, "Sure, that sounds good right about now. What do you say to a burger? I could go for something gooey and greasy."

Several minutes later after Kelsi had driven her car home, they were both settled into Jason's truck and on their way to a local burger joint. Deciding on eating there, they both ordered and waited for their food to be ready in the nearly vacant little restaurant. They sat down at a small table and looked awkwardly at each other over the tops of their drinks.

Jason nervously questioned, "So, you like musicals, huh? Have you heard of Wicked?"

"Ohmygosh! It's like one of the best of all time!" Kelsi squealed. She stared at Jason with wide eyes wondering how he would know of any musicals at all. Visibly more relaxed, she teased, "And here I was thinking you were some sort of philistine with no interest whatsoever in anything besides basketball."

Jason grinned back at her, "Yeah, my sister is totally into that sort of stuff. And let's just say, she really likes singing the soundtrack. Loud."

Kelsi looked slightly crestfallen, "So, I guess you don't actually know what the musical is about, then?" She had rather hoped that this would be a good topic to pursue.

"Are you kidding? Who do you think took her to see the musical when it came to New Mexico?" Jason puffed out his chest in a superior big brotherly way and grinned maniacally all the while.

Brightening, Kelsi eagerly pounced on one of her favorite subjects to talk about. She and Jason talked animatedly about any and all things related to Wicked. Some time during their conversation, their food arrived, but they continued to talk even with hands, and sometimes mouths, full of hamburger.

After they had fed their rumbling stomachs, they were deep in conversation, not realizing how late it had gotten. Jason's pocket started to vibrate, jolting him back to reality. Pulling his cell phone out and flipping it open, he motioned to Kelsi that he was going to take the call. Kelsi nodded and checked her watch only to find that it was nearly ten o'clock and they had spent the last two hours eating, talking, and laughing.

"...yeah, OK, Dad. Yeah, I'll be home in about ten minutes. Ok, later." Looking apologetic, Jason offered an explanation, "Sorry about that. My dad called to see where I was and to tell me that curfew is in half an hour. I guess we have to get going, then?"

Kelsi agreed, saying that she had to get up early tomorrow morning anyways. Jason drove to Kelsi's house chatting amiably the whole way about how lame one of their Drama projects was that semester. Turning into Kelsi's driveway, Jason shut off the engine and hopped out to open the passenger side door after Kelsi couldn't get the door unstuck.

"Oh, ha, the door was switched to childproof lock," Jason crowed triumphantly when he got the door open for Kelsi. Giving her a quick hug, Jason said, "I had a great time tonight, see you tomorrow?" And with that, he wished her a good night and slid back into the driver's seat. Kelsi unlocked her front door and smiled into the darkness at having gained a new friend.

For once, she didn't feel like she had to hide who she really was when she was with Jason. She liked how they could talk about anything and have some good laughs, too.

That night, Kelsi slept peacefully with a trace of a smile still lingering on her lips.

**Review and tell me what you think?**


	4. Early Mornings

**A/N: Standard Disclaimers apply here. I don't own High School Musical.**

**I do, on the other hand, own any and all things belonging to When The Rain Comes, including all musical numbers and lyrics.**

The alarm clock trilled shrilly, jarring Kelsi out of a deep sleep. Glancing at the clock, Kelsi looked at the glowing numbers to see that it was five thirty in the morning and still dark outside. Groaning, she rolled over, pulling the covers back over her head. Ten seconds later, she bolted out of bed suddenly remembering why she had set the alarm for such an ungodly hour.

She had promised Jason during drama class that she would work with him on his part since he had a small but fairly significant singing role. Darbus had very nearly cringed when she had heard Jason try and hit some of the notes that were too clearly out of his range. She had demanded that Kelsi make time to practice with Jason and make him sound better than his current screeching.

Throwing on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a hat, Kelsi slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and ran out the door hoping against hope that Jason wouldn't be there yet. She had always hated being late to anything, and this was no exception.

She had just barely gotten the music room unlocked and set her things on the piano bench when Jason walked through the door. "Good morning Jason, come and put your stuff down over here. Let's get going since we don't have very long until zero period starts. I saw the notice on Coach Bolton's office door, and I'm assuming you'll have to go to zero period workout." Handing him the vocal part for Romantical, Kelsi motioned for him to read the first spoken line.

_She smiles gently,_

She lightly placed her fingers on the piano's well worn ivory keys and softly accompanied his next few singing lines.

_Looks to the side,_

_And as her gaze slowly climbs_

_His eyes meet hers._

_And as they do,_

_He's lost in their depths..._

On that last line, Jason struggled trying to hit the high note on "depths." Kelsi sighed and said tiredly, "Ok, Jason. Let's try something different. I'm going to play a little scale on the piano, and I want you to match the pitch with your voice. Just one octave this time." Jason mastered this fairly easily and Kelsi smiled with anticipation. "Ok this time, I'm going to play a different scale and it's going to go a little higher than the last one did." Straining slightly on the top note, Jason still managed to finish. A few more run throughs of the same scale proved to strengthen Jason's voice. After nearly a half hour of scales, Kelsi thought he was ready to tackle the actual lyrics again. This time, Jason hit every note perfectly and beamed proudly as Kelsi congratulated him on his achievement.

"That was excellent, Jason. Now what to do about your rhythm," Kelsi mused aloud.

"I'm free on Thursday morning if you wouldn't mind giving me extra practice again," Jason replied as he hurriedly looked at his watch to see how long he had until workout started. "Same time?"

"I'm game if you're game," Kelsi retorted with a grin. "Now get going, or Coach Bolton is going to have you running laps."

"Yes, ma'am," Jason said in a serious tone with a mock salute. "See you later...alligator." Kelsi could barely control her fit of laughter at his corny line.

Kelsi found herself eagerly awaiting Thursday morning when she would be practicing with Jason again. She liked how easy the conversation was between the two of them and that they could laugh. Mostly since Jason was always saying these stupid things and then realizing too late that he couldn't take them back.

The days whipped by quickly, and it was Thursday all too fast. Kelsi was excited at the prospect of spending some more time with Jason since she had been too busy lately to hang out at all with any one.

Waking up early, Kelsi got to school a few minutes before Jason and rearranged the practice room in boredom. She set out a stool for Jason so he wouldn't have to stand during the entire session, and she dusted off the top of the piano.

With her back turned to the door as she adjusted the piano bench, Kelsi didn't notice Jason sneaking up behind her. Covering her eyes with his hands, Jason whispered gleefully in her ear, "Guess who?"

"Jason!" Kelsi exclaimed while playfully swatting his hands away. "You are such a big joker. Here's the music. We're working on rhythm today, remember?" She seated herself at the piano and worked her fingers over the keys as the chorus' notes to Romantical drifted through the silence of the music room.

_His arm presses slowly against hers_

_And the second dies,_

_But the memory is never forgotten._

_Maybe they will meet again._

"No, no! Your rhythm and timing is all wrong, Jason." Kelsi cried out impatiently. "Listen, this is how it's supposed to counted. One and two and three and a-four and."

Jason returned with a blank stare and the monosyllabic response, "What?"

"Ok. Never mind. Forget that. Pay close attention because I am only going to do this once," Kelsi said defeated.

Singing the verse in exact rhythm, Kelsi finished and looked at Jason expectantly. "Do you understand now how it goes?"

Awestruck, Jason could only mutter, "Wow. That was amazing. Why didn't you tell me that you could sing? You have a wonderful singing voice."

"Yeah right. Says the person whom Mrs. Darbus has deemed screeches instead of sings." Kelsi blushed with the unexpected praise from Jason.

"Well, I may not be able to sing, but I certainly know a good voice when I hear one." Jason asserted.

"Umm. You know what I should get going. I was going to get some help on last night's math homework. So... uhh, seeyoulaterthen," Kelsi blurted as the words tumbled out of her mouth. Making a hasty retreat, she quickly ran down the hall to the girl's bathroom as a refuge. She hadn't counted on Jason being this friendly with her. What was she going to do?

**Review please? I won't update anymore if you don't review. I don't know if you're all saying "Keep going!" or "For my brain's sake, STOP!" :D**


	5. Shopping Trip

**A/N: Standard Disclaimers apply as usual. I don't own High School Musical, Hollister, Banana Republic, or American Eagle. I do own all rights to When The Rain Comes.**

**Thoughts are in _italics_.**

_Making a hasty retreat, she quickly ran down the hall to the girl's bathroom as a refuge. She hadn't counted on Jason being this friendly with her. What was she going to do?_

**--------**

Kelsi tried to steady her ragged breathing to no avail. Her mind and imagination were being overactive and jumping to conclusions. _What if he likes me? No. It can't be. What if the basketball team is playing a joke at my expense? Yeah. Yeah. That must be it._ Kelsi tried to reassure herself of this; that someone couldn't be that friendly with her just to be nice to her. After all, most people looked down on her and used her for accompaniment or to ask for help in drama. Regaining her composure, Kelsi fixed her hair quickly, walked calmly out of the bathroom, and headed in the direction of her homeroom class.

Kelsi reached the classroom fifteen minutes before the start of school and sat down to an empty classroom. Mrs. Darbus hadn't even come in yet, so it was a surprise to Kelsi that the door had been unlocked at all. No matter, she pulled out her score as usual and stared at it a bit before jotting down a few notes on the page. Frowning, she erased them and penciled in a new melody line for Receding Wave. Losing herself to the music, Kelsi had a creative spark and furiously tried to capture the music inside her head onto the paper. Before she knew it, the classroom had filled up with her chattering classmates and the bell had just rung.

Mrs. Darbus waltzed into the room with her usual dramatic flourish and said airily, "Students, Principal Matsui has some morning announcements, so stay quiet for them. After that, we will be working on your stage entrances. They are simply deplorable!"

The entire class groaned collectively and fidgeted slightly waiting for Principal Matsui's voice to come blasting out of nowhere. Sure enough, the loudspeaker clicked on, and the principal started talking immediately. "Good morning, East High. As you may well remember, last Sunday there was vandalism to our lovely school and there was quite a bit of damage. Nearly thirty thousand dollars worth of damage. Developments have arisen that have allowed us to name suspects. The local hardware store has given us the security tapes and we have discovered that the person buying several bags of manure late on Saturday night appears to be a female student on the shorter side. You should be ashamed of yourself, and you should know that we will not rest until we have caught the culprit or culprits and have apprehended them. This will not go unpunished. That will be all."

Another audible click and the principal's voice faded away. Instantaneously, the classroom began to buzz with anticipation of who it could have possibly been. In this class, there were a few people who fit the vague description; Kelsi being one of them. Kelsi had zoned out some time ago and was currently busy with writing lyrics for a musical number, so she didn't notice the strange looks people had been giving her. The ringing bell signaled to Kelsi that she should start walking to her next class.

Throwing herself into the flow of people in the hallway moving toward her Biology class, Kelsi shuffled along not minding the whispers and staring all around her. In the brief amount of time it had taken for the announcement to be made, Kelsi had become one of the prime suspects in the vandalism because of her height, or as she liked to call it, "petite size." Most people had assumed that her motive was to take quiet revenge on the school since she almost never talked in class or to other people. They just distrusted what they didn't know.

Kelsi went on during her day, completely unaware that the rumors flying around were about her. At lunch time, she was waved over by Troy to the gang's lunch table. She nervously waved back and took a seat next to Ryan. Sharpay, ever the blunt one of the group, asked pointedly, "So, Kelsi, who do _you_ think did it?"

"Umm, did what?" Kelsi stuttered, a little surprised at the random question.

"Weren't you listening in class? Principal Matsui made an announcement that they had suspects as to who vandalized the school." Sharpay answered in a huff.

"Oh, I wasn't paying attention. I really don't know," Kelsi said nervously, wondering if she had given the right reply.

"Oh, ok. Suuure you don't." Sharpay said in a knowing tone of voice. The group had heard the rumors about Kelsi, and at first, they had been shocked and outraged. They couldn't believe that she could be capable of something like that, and emphatically denied all charges against her. However, as the day wore on, they had all found themselves thinking that maybe it was true. Maybe Kelsi did have something against the school. They had all been anxious for lunch to arrive so they could question Kelsi about their suspicions.

The awkward tension hung thick in the air, and the rest of lunch was spent quietly eating and not looking at each other. Kelsi was the first finished with her light lunch, so quickly excusing herself, she left the table hoping to get away from the weirdness that surrounded the group. As she walked away, she could almost feel the seven pairs of eyes boring holes into her back. Kelsi sighed and hugged her books to her chest as she walked out of the cafeteria.

_I wonder what that was all about. They all acted like I was supposed to know something. Uh oh, this doesn't feel right. Maybe something bad is going to happen later today. Maybe it's all part of their elaborate basketball joke on me._ Kelsi pondered upon what had just happened and just assumed it was some inexplicable thing that "popular" people did.

Kelsi had spent the rest of the school day wondering what Sharpay had meant when she had talked to her at lunch. Walking outside toward her mom's car that was waiting at the curb, Kelsi heard her name being called. She spun around to watch as Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay came running up to her, panting out of sheer exhaustion from running and calling to Kelsi at the same time.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Kelsi greeted the three girls with a wary smile.

Gabriella piped up, "Oh, we were going to the mall today, and we were just wondering if you would like to come with us?"

"Yeah, it'll be tons of fun," Taylor added. "Come on, you haven't hung out with us, and what better place than the mall?"

"Oh, gosh, I'm not really into the whole shopping thing and besides—" Kelsi started but was cut off.

Sharpay squealed and said loudly, "What? You don't like shopping? Oh, now you definitely have to come with!"

"You didn't let me finish. Anyways, I was saying that I have to drop by the hardware store and buy some wood glue for my dad. He's building a birdhouse, and he just used up the last of the wood glue yesterday. So, maybe some other time?" Kelsi asked cautiously.

They were all standing right outside Kelsi's car when her mom took the inopportune moment to ring in her thoughts. "Kelsi, dear, you were just at the hardware store on Saturday night! Why don't you give yourself a break and go out with the girls. I'll just drop by and pick up the wood glue for your father when I go to the market later. Call me when you need a ride home, darling. Bye bye!"

The three girls exchanged a quick glance at each other. Had they just heard right? Kelsi had been at the hardware store at the same general time as the criminal. Plus, it didn't help Kelsi's case that she just fit the description captured on the security tapes. They put the thought aside for a moment and went back to convincing Kelsi to go with them. All the more time for them to weasel the truth out of her.

Kelsi mentally smacked her mother for saying that she could go to the mall when all she had wanted was to go home and start the mounds of homework that her teachers had piled on today.

"Great, so now you can come to the mall with us!" Gabriella exclaimed happily. "We'll take my car." The four girls headed over to where Gabriella had parked her silver Mazda RX-8 and hopped in.

Letting out a loud shriek, Taylor yelped, "Wow, nice car, Gabi! When did you get this? I am so jealous."

"For my birthday, from my grandparents," Gabriella replied laughing.

Kelsi sat quietly in the backseat listening to the playful banter between the other girls. She silently decided to make the best of the trip since it didn't look as though she would be getting out of this any time soon. Cutting out too soon and she would be bombarded with questions from both her mom and the other three. No, it was best to stick it out and put up with whatever various girlyness would ensue.

Reaching the mall, Gabriella quickly found a parking spot near the entrance, and they all piled out of the car. "Ooh, let's go to American Eagle first! I saw this really cute shirt the other day when I was window shopping. I hope it's still there!" Gabriella rambled excitedly.

They all walked toward the store, Sharpay's heels clacking on the tile floor, Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay's mouths all motoring along a mile a minute. Kelsi hung back a bit, just staring in awe at the voluble amounts of conversation pouring out from their lips.

"Hurry up, Kelsi! We want to pick out a new outfit for you!" Sharpay called out from somewhere ahead. In her awestruck trance, Kelsi had somehow fallen behind the other three, and she now scampered to catch up.

By the time Kelsi had reached American Eagle, Taylor and Gabriella had already found an outfit for Kelsi. Pushing it into her hands, they then proceeded to push her into a dressing room and waited for her to put it on.

"Well, come on out! We want to see how it looks on you," Gabriella said through the wooden slats on the dressing room door.

Kelsi emerged wearing a pair of fitted brown plaid shorts that were cropped at the knee and a fitted yellow t-shirt with nonsensical designs on the left shoulder.

"Wow, Kelsi, you so have to buy this outfit. It's so cute on you!" Taylor squealed in delight.

"Wait, something's not right," Sharpay said thoughtfully. As if a light bulb had come on, Sharpay's face lit up, and she reached forward to flip the hat off Kelsi's head. "Lose the hat, Kels! Gosh, even Ryan isn't always wearing a hat."

"Oh really? Since when is that twin brother of yours not wearing a hat?" Gabriella questioned.

Sharpay giggled unceremoniously, "When he goes out on dates with Troy."

"Aww, that is adorable," Taylor commented.

Kelsi paid for her clothes and escaped the store with just one bag while the others weren't so fortunate, or at least in her eyes. They came out with at least two bags each, and Kelsi couldn't fathom how they could buy and wear so many clothes. She was quite content with the normal t-shirt and jeans combo everyday.

Several stores later and hundreds of dollars lighter, the girls called it a day and headed back out to the parking lot. Kelsi was relieved that this living nightmare was over, and that she could go home and rest her sore feet. She hadn't realized how much walking they had done until towards the fifth...sixth...seventh store? She had lost count somewhere between Hollister and Banana Republic. Her feet had been practically screaming at her to stop and take a rest. To sit on a bench, a planter; heck, anything that would stay still for a few seconds.

Gabriella drove everyone to their respective houses, planning to drop Kelsi off last since she lived closest to Gabriella. At last, it was only Kelsi and Gabriella in the car, and the silence threatened to overwhelm the two.

"So, Kelsi, have fun today?" Gabriella asked politely.

"To tell the truth, it was a little much for me," Kelsi replied while clutching her throbbing feet.

Laughing, Gabriella supplied an explanation, "Yeah, we tend to get 'in the zone' when we go shopping, and that usually means shop 'til you drop. Literally. By the way, what were you doing in the hardware store last Saturday?"

"Oh, just picking up some spackle for the wall," Kelsi said defensively. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just wanted to know is all." Gabriella shot back quickly. "You, uhh, don't seem like the kind of girl to be going down to the hardware store all the time."

"My dad has just recently gotten into his home improvement craze. So we all play along. At the moment, he has disassembled the vacuum, drilled fifteen different holes into the wall and filled them before deciding that the first one was the right one, and painted the walls in the kitchen four different colors. That don't match." Kelsi explained.

"Oh, here we are. I'll see you later, Kelsi." Gabriella interjected.

"All right. Bye." Kelsi waved as she opened the door of the car and walked up the front steps to her door.

_Hmm.. That was slightly strange. I'd better get started on that homework right away. This is going to be a very late night I can tell._

**A/N: So there's the chapter. Hope you liked it. Review and tell me what you think. You'll just have to wait and see what happens next :D**


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